


Singles

by Trainmaster64



Series: Thomas and Rosie Saga [2]
Category: Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends, Thomas the Tank Engine - All Media Types
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Love, Male-Female Friendship, Past Relationship(s), Romance, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-05-20
Updated: 2011-05-20
Packaged: 2018-03-30 07:51:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3928855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trainmaster64/pseuds/Trainmaster64
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After becoming involved with Rosie, Thomas needs to tell Emily that she is not right for him. The trick is for Thomas to do so in a way that allows them to keep their friendship intact.</p><p>Story 2 of 3.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Singles

“I knew it, I knew it, I knew that I knew it!”

Percy was teasing Thomas and Rosie as they sat together at Ffarquhar. The two tank engines had been in a relationship for a few weeks, but to them it felt as if it were much longer. Thomas scowled at his friend, but couldn’t be cross – Percy was right, as was every other engine that had seen them before.

The little green engine’s reaction wasn’t the only one that they had encountered. Gordon, for instance, had winked broadly at them as he passed by, a few days after that day in the yards. The other big engines had laughed, but Thomas hadn’t found the funny side at that point. Rosie had had her fair share of needling from the others as well.

Of course, both engines also remembered the Fat Controller’s reaction, and took his words to heart; they always made sure that all of their work had been finished well, before meeting up with each other.

The two engines loved each other very much, and were happy being together whenever they could find the time. They went to different places together, including the famous Sudrian coastline and the quiet Whistling Woods. Sometimes they simply stayed up late talking to each other, or else kissing each other quietly and passionately. Always they enjoyed each other’s company.

They didn’t ignore the other engines as such, and were more than happy to spend some time apart chatting with their other friends. Today was proof of this, when Thomas had been chatting with Percy. The little green engine had been very happy to see his friend again, and was very keen on ribbing Thomas about his newfound relationship with the very engine that, a few weeks ago, he had vehemently denied being attracted to. It was all in fun, however, and everyone knew it.

Percy beamed as he gazed upon the happy pair. Then a question arose in his mind:

“There’s only one question that remains, however – what will Emily think about this?”

Thomas winced. He had been trying to avoid that particular topic, purely because he knew how difficult it would be to bring up. It didn’t help that Rosie was visibly confused and somewhat alarmed when the question was posed. After a moment, realization dawned upon Percy, who quickly scampered away before Thomas could react any further towards him.

“Thomas,” Rosie began tentatively, “what did Percy mean by ‘what will Emily think?’”

Already Thomas could see upon Rosie’s face the very things that he had hoped never to bring out in her – fear that her special friend was too good to be true, and not really hers after all. He knew he had to straighten things out immediately.

“Rosie, let me explain. Emily is my friend, but you are much more than that to me. I love you, not her. However, there were a few moments in our past before I met you, which could have led to more than that. Would you please let me explain what I mean?”

Rosie was still worried, but was not about to lose faith in her Thomas yet, when he was willing to talk with her openly now.

“Emily came to the island a few years ago, before you and I met,” Thomas began. “She was smart and friendly, and although she stole my coaches-” (here Thomas winced again – he had not forgotten that infamous incident from back then) “-she was nice. We became good friends, like siblings. She cared for me and I cared for her.”

“Did you two ever… you know… try to hit it off?” Rosie asked, unsure whether or not she wanted the answer.

“Yes, but it didn’t work out – at least not in my eyes,” Thomas said firmly. “We went out to Black Loch once or twice, and had a bit of fun together. We nearly kissed – nearly,” Thomas emphasized, for Rosie’s eyes had glinted with hard fear and anguish. “Nothing happened out there, and that was as it should have been to me. I believed then – and still believe now – that we’re only friends. We could never be more than that. I only have eyes for one engine, Rosie… you know who I’m referring to…”

Rosie smiled with a mixture of pleasure and relief, as she moved closer to Thomas – yet the wariness was still somewhat present. “What will you say to her, then?”

Thomas thought for a moment, and then decided: “The truth. I love you and will not leave you no matter what. Emily is my friend, and you are more than that to me. I am yours and you are mine.”

And Thomas let Rosie move forward to kiss him again, ready to return the favour with all the love he had for her. Had her eyes been open as she moved in, Thomas would have noted that the wariness had evaporated with her assuaged fears.

***

Emily had been away on the mainland, running a set of railtours for a charter company. The Fat Controller had suggested using her as she had just been overhauled at the Steamworks, and needed the chance to stretch her wheels. She had been away for a few weeks, running up and down the East coast with her special excursion trains. The engines on the mainland were tolerant of her presence, and allowed Emily to reach some fine speeds during her runs.

Now, however, the railtours had come to a close, and Emily was on her way back home. She was pulling one last special from London to Barrow, and then continuing on to Tidmouth. The sun sparkled over her emerald-green paintwork as she steamed proudly over the bridge to Sodor.

Emily loved being home again; the sun shone brightly over the Sudrian landscape as she powered through Cronk and towards Gordon’s Hill. The other engines whistled to her as they passed by – all friends here.

Secretly, however, Emily was keen to see one particular engine again - a certain tank engine, who had occupied the back of her thoughts for a very long time. She had liked him for a while now – though had never been as forward as some of the other engines were; Emily found herself to be more reserved than that. Emily wanted to tell him how she felt, but had just never had the chance.

They had shared some special moments together – that one evening they had spent at Black Loch still lingered in her memory. They had come so close to kissing each other at that point… for a while afterward Emily’s dreams had finished out that scenario for her, leaving her feeling so content each morning after. 

They hadn’t seen each other as much recently – Thomas had his own work to do and Emily had hers. She just hadn’t had the chance to tell him yet.

That would all change soon – she would tell him very soon, she decided. For now, Emily simply enjoyed the beautiful landscape evolve around her as she steamed swiftly to Tidmouth, unaware of what was waiting for her there. 

***

Thomas steamed carefully into the yards. Emily had arrived a short while ago and was taking on coal at the coaling stage, feeling pleased to be home. The yards were filled with engines bustling back and forth, shunting trucks and hauling freight. All had different roles to play, whether around Tidmouth yards or further away, but were passing through the yards regardless, making this a busy place to be.

Thomas knew that he had to talk with Emily in some semblance of privacy, and so he waited until most of the engines had cleared out before making his presence known. Whistling as cheerfully as he could, he stopped nearby.

“Thomas!” Emily cried with delight. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you too, Emily,” Thomas said, pleased with the slight diversion from his intended topic. “How were your railtours?”

“Oh, they went well. I’ve missed running on the mainland – it’s so different nowadays. I’ll have to tell you all about it at some point. I’ve really got to go and get ready for my next train, though.”

But Thomas knew that if Emily left now he would lose the confidence he needed to tell her the truth. “Emily, wait. I need to talk with you. Please.”

Emily stopped instantly, and quickly returned. She had an inkling of what Thomas would say to her… she had wanted him to tell her for a long time. Passing off the look on his face as nervousness on his part, she paid absolute attention to him, quickly straightening out her face to be impassive and unknowing.

“I have something I need to tell you. Please don’t take it the wrong way.”

How could she take it the wrong way? She was eagerly waiting for Thomas to tell her those words that she knew would make her complete, though her face was still cool and collected.

“I’m in love…”

Here it was, at long last…

“…with Rosie.”

Emily’s face was still unreadable. Thomas could not tell what was going through her mind.

“Well… congratulations.” Emily’s voice was carefully controlled. Flat and calm, in an attempt to hide the crushing sensation that had enveloped her completely. “It’s about time you fell for her. She’s been after you for years.”

Like me, she thought. The pain cleaved through her heart like the cutter’s torch as she thought it. Emily felt as if a flame inside of her, burning for years, had just been snuffed out. It was icy cold inside of her without it.

“Emily,” Thomas said, for he knew what she was really feeling, “you’re my friend. I think you’re a really great friend to have, but I don’t love you. I love Rosie. You’re like a sister to me.”

Once upon a time that particular phrase would have made Emily feel incredibly happy. How odd it was, then, that it now made her feel so much worse. The engine that had unknowingly held her heart had just shattered it into millions of pieces. He didn’t love her as she loved him. She was without his love. Emily felt as if the world was collapsing into darkness and despair, with no light to save her.

It was therefore incredible that she was able to maintain her smooth and calm composure so flawlessly.

“Thanks, Thomas. I know you’re still my friend. We’re always going to be good friends.”

Thomas was unsure that Emily was truly feeling fine; her knowing smile was a little too forced to be real. “Are you going to be all right, Emily?” he asked tentatively.

How could she respond? “Of course I will. I’m fine. Really, I am. Why should I be upset? You’ve found love. Good for you.” Her heart ached with raw pain as she spoke, carefully controlling her voice.

“Good,” Thomas said, though he was still uneasy. “I’ll be off, then. Take care when running today; the line i-”

Without warning, Emily lunged forwards and passionately kissed Thomas. The tank engine couldn’t speak as Emily pressed herself against him, giving herself and her raw emotions to him. Poor Thomas was trapped in her mad embrace, as she kissed him as deeply and powerfully as she could.

Finally, Emily broke off and backed away, her mask of calm shattered. She looked mortified – which was exactly how Thomas looked. Her face had gone as red as James’ paint – the engine himself was nearby and had seen everything. Even he was shocked at what had happened.

“Thomas, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what got into me, but-” Emily broke off as Thomas looked at her. She saw no love in his eyes, for he had none to give to her. Now she finally understood how he truly felt: Thomas was truly in love with Rosie and not her. She would have to accept it and move forwards.

What worried her was the fear that she may have just ruined their friendship with her actions as well.

Thomas sighed. “It’s alright, Emily. You had to do that. Just please don’t do it again. I love Rosie and don’t want to hurt her. You’re like my sister, nothing more. I just want to be friends with you. Okay?”

Emily agreed, tears of shame and embarrassment already beginning to fill in her eyes. Their friendship could be repaired and restored, but first they needed time to recover. Emily needed time to recover.

Quickly, Emily dashed away, her face full of color. Her mind was overflowing with guilt and shame, already consuming her and her memories of Thomas. Thomas watched her go for a moment, before puffing off to fetch a drink. No one spoke; they simply couldn’t after what had happened.

No one had noticed a small tank engine sidle into the yards shortly before Emily’s kiss, and quickly leave whilst it was happening. Had anyone been nearby, they would have heard a stifled sob escape the lavender engine as she fled the scene.

***

Rosie was sobbing freely as she hid in the yards. She had come to see Thomas tell Emily about his love for herself, and had found him locking lips with her instead. This was a nightmare that she had hoped against hope would never happen – Rosie knew she could not wake up from this.

She was angry, to be sure. Thomas was her lover, and no one else’s – wasn’t he? Was he Emily’s lover as well? He couldn’t be… or maybe he could. She didn’t know anymore.

He was kissing Emily – did that mean that all the deep and passionate kissing that he and Rosie had been doing was… Rosie felt nauseous, violated. For a moment, she looked as if she were to become sick.

Then the moment passed, and Rosie began to feel cold. As it was summertime, she knew this was not from the weather. It was from her lover being unfaithful. Thomas, her Thomas, had been using her, and was probably using Emily as well.

It was all too much for Rosie to bear. She cried out in anguish, her tears hot and painful across her face as she mourned for her newly-broken heart.

***

Thomas was shaking slightly as he rolled to the water column for a drink. He could feel the other engines’ eyes focused upon him as he sat, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. He knew what had just happened but it didn’t make it any easier to comprehend.

He should have seen the signs. He should have noticed that Emily would do that to him. She was too controlled to be truly fine, and he had let it slide. A mistake that cost them dearly.

As his mind inadvertently strayed back to Emily’s mad kiss, he immediately remembered why he had had to hurt her as he did. Thomas hoped that she hadn’t seen-

A piercing cry rent through the yards, coming from nearby. Thomas went cold instantly – Emily was too far away to make that noise, and did a far better job of controlling her emotions than that. He knew who that was.

Thomas looked down at the rails in front of him, his own vision beginning to blur. She knew. Groaning painfully, he allowed himself a few moments to break down, before recollecting himself and returning to work. He could only hope that Rosie would be willing to listen to him later on.

***

The silence in Tidmouth Sheds that evening was nearly deafening. Thanks to the rumour mill, nearly everyone in the shed had knowledge of what had happened. Emily stared straight down at her buffers, staying absolutely silent as the others entered. She didn’t want them to say anything; she knew already what they would say if they spoke.

At last, however, Gordon broke the silence. “Well, Emily, I’m sorry for your… ahem, incident today.”

Emily went redder, yet still stared resolutely downward.

“Of course, it must be difficult with your situation, so I can’t speak definitively on the facts-”

“No, you can’t.” Emily broke in, quietly yet firmly. “I already know what you think of me, so let’s get it out in the open. I’m devious, cruel, and vile. I’m horrible. I tried to ruin Thomas’ relationship with Rosie, and have probably succeeded. I’m a rotten friend and I’m completely disgraceful, disgusting, and downright despicable. Is everyone happy now?”

By now the tears had begun at long last. Emily couldn’t stop them, nor had she any desire to do so. She didn’t deserve to stop crying, after the way she had behaved. She knew their faces would be filled with the loathing and hatred she deserved, if she could see them through her tears.

But when Emily had regained part of her vision and dared to glance at the others, she was quite surprised to find the exact opposite looks back at her. They were filled with concern and compassion – Emily couldn’t understand it. She sobbed anew, with confusion and self-loathing, and pent-up heartbreak over that little blue engine.

After a while, she felt a set of buffers against her own. Looking up and hiccoughing in surprise, she saw James in front of her, looking sympathetic. James was slightly startled as well, but tried not to show it as he puffed up to her again.

“No, we’re not,” he said gently. “We’re not happy. We’re all sorry for you, and worried about you. We all care about you as much as the rest of us, and we don’t want to see you like this.”

The other engines were slightly surprised and amused; James was hardly the type of engine they would expect to be giving this kind of a speech. Nevertheless, they were all agreed that he was doing a good job – Emily seemed to be focusing upon him a bit more as he spoke.

“You were in love with Thomas.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. One that Emily agreed with.

“He was supposed to be with me. It was supposed to be different. Now…” Emily’s face was filled with anguish. “He hates me and he should. I kissed him and he wasn’t even interested in me. He’ll never speak to me again. No one should.”

“Stop that. You shouldn’t have kissed him like that but he doesn’t hate you. No one does. We know why you did it and we know you don’t want to hurt anyone either. Stop hurting yourself like this. Please.”

Emily looked at James with surprise. He wasn’t impolite by any means but he rarely said ‘please’ as he did now. Looking at him now, she found no judgment or hatred. All she found in his eyes were sympathy and concern for his friend. 

“I’m sorry, Emily. Please don’t hate yourself when we all love you.” James’ voice was full of that same compassion that lingered in his eyes.

In him, Emily knew she had a friend to cry upon – which she did. Carefully, James led her out of the sheds, letting her cry upon him all the while. He knew Emily was in pain and he would be there for her. He would see her through it as a good friend should. Emily would be all right.

As he sat with Emily in the moonlight, though, James had to wonder whether Thomas and Rosie would be all right too.

***

Thomas puffed into the old siding where it had all happened. He knew she would be there, and he honestly couldn’t blame her – she had made her move there, and he had made his. It was special for both of them.

Sure enough, Rosie was sitting at the end of the siding, resting against the new buffers that had been installed. Her face was pinker than usual, and her eyes were red – she had obviously been crying recently, and it didn’t take much to figure out why.

As soon as she saw Thomas, however, she changed immediately. Rosie was scowling at him, and grew even angrier as he approached. By the time he had stopped, about ten feet from her, she was red with fury. The tank engine was literally shaking with suppressed rage; Thomas had never been frightened of Rosie before now, but was now feeling weak-wheeled as he stared at her trembling form.

However, he knew he had to try to appeal to her. He had to make things right.

“I-” he began, but Rosie shot him a look that silenced him instantly.

“Move,” she snapped briskly. “I want to leave this siding.”

“No.” Thomas was trembling with fear as he spoke; he wasn’t sure if it was even himself who was speaking. “I need to talk to you. We need to talk.”

“Move. Now.” Rosie’s teeth were gritted, and her eyes blazed with burning red fury at him.

“No.”

“I said MOVE! NOW! GET OUT OF MY WAY AND GET OUT OF MY LIFE!” Rosie screamed. She was almost ready to force Thomas out of the way, so wild was her rage.

And he was ready to let her try. Thomas would let her do anything to him at this point… except leave him without letting him talk to her and explain things. She would not leave without hearing the full story.

“Rosie, please. Let me talk.”

“NO! I’M DONE WITH YOU! IF YOU WANT EMILY SO BADLY YOU CAN HAVE HER! HAVE HER, YOU HEAR?!”

“Rosie, please calm down.” This was a mistake, as Thomas immediately discovered.

“CALM DOWN?! WHEN YOUR TRUE LOVE IS MAKING OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE?! I SAW YOU! I saw you.” Rosie whispered; she was shaking with anger and despair. “I saw you and Emily kissing each other in the yards today. How could you, Thomas, HOW COULD YOU?!”

“Rosie, please let me explain. I love you-”

“YOU LOVE ME?! YOU?” Rosie shrieked. “After you kiss her, you think you can win me over like that? I’m not stupid, Thomas. You used me. You broke me. Why? Why, Thomas, why?” By now Rosie was close to tears, and Thomas knew she would soon break down. Then he would have a chance to speak. All he had to do now was wait for her.

“Rosie, please-”

Rosie lunged forwards, and biffed Thomas hard. Thomas jolted back as Rosie ground herself forwards, fighting to free herself from her siding. She pushed and strained against him with all her might, anger fuelling her. Sharp cracks indicated the amount of pressure she was exerting on his buffers and frame – Rosie was small but could be incredibly powerful.

But Thomas did not move. He did not fight. He stood and waited for Rosie to calm down, while trying not to break down himself at seeing his love in such a state.

Finally, Rosie’s pushing weakened, as she began to cry openly once again. Her sobs ripped through Thomas’ heart worse than the screaming and shouting. He couldn’t say anything as Rosie sobbed into him, her heart finally showing its true colors – not red, but blue.

After a while, Rosie began to quieten down. Her face was coated with fresh tears – Thomas noted that some of these seemed to have come from his own face as well. Then, he began to speak. “Rosie, let me explain. I won’t let you go until you hear me out. After I’ve finished, then I’ll let you go. You can do anything you want after that. Just listen to me first. Please?”

Rosie was still looking at Thomas with a corrosive glare, but Thomas noted it was slightly less powerful than it had been before. “Fine. Talk.” She backed away and gave him space.

“I don’t know how much you heard me tell Emily, but I’ll tell you anyways. Emily is a great friend, and is full of many great things that would interest me – she’s beautiful and powerful, and very strong in her own right.”

Rosie’s face told Thomas that she was suitably less than impressed. Thomas knew he had to speak carefully, for this was his only opportunity to do so. He was well aware of what the consequences would be should he fail to do so.

“But I told her – like I’ve told you and am telling you now – that she’s only my friend. That’s all. I love you, Rosie, and everything about you – you’ve been showing me all your good qualities for years and I was too blind to see them until recently. You’ve got a great sense of humour and fun – remember that game we played in the rain that one time? Splish, Splash, Splosh?”

Rosie remembered; that was a fun game. She had enjoyed that light-hearted fun with her friend.

“I tried to play with Emily, and she didn’t like that game at all. You’re much more fun to be around. You’re also very nice to me. When Emily is being tough, you’re always there to be nice and kind to me. I love that about you. No matter what, you’re always there for me.”

“What about the time that you and Emily shared a shed together? I heard about that!” Rosie interjected.

“Emily hated my sleep-whistling at night. She was glad to see me go. At Tidmouth Sheds we were far away from each other because of it. You like it, though.”

“How do you know?” Rosie asked, a little too quickly.

“I heard about that. You think it’s cute.”

Rosie slightly smiled, but tried to regain her composure as Thomas continued. “You’re very caring of me. You care about me much more than a sister ever would – Emily is like a sister to me. You’ve been so much more than that. You’re my love and the best thing that ever happened to me. You’re pretty and smart, and absolutely incredible to be around. I can’t bear to lose you now that I know that – after what I said and did before I couldn’t ever lose you. I can’t.”

“But what about the kissing?” Rosie asked, still not completely won over yet.

“Rosie, I don’t care if I never get to kiss you again. If you never speak to me until the day I’m scrapped, I won’t care. I love the way you kiss me, and I love kissing you, but I don’t care about that. I care about you. All I want is to have your love in whatever form you’re willing to give to me. I can’t let you go.”

Rosie was touched; Thomas was still very pure at heart, as she had wanted to believe. Still: “That wasn’t what I meant, Thomas. You and Emily were… kissing each other.” She had difficulty saying it again, for that was the whole issue.

Thomas sighed. “Emily was the one who kissed me, and the reason that she did that was because she wasn’t ready to accept that I had fallen in love with someone else. If I could have stopped her I would have. She’s already upset about what happened… I am too. I didn’t want to hurt you and I still don’t. I told her as much afterwards and you can ask her yourself if you like. Rosie, I love you and nobody else. Please, please forgive me. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I didn’t want to hurt Emily either.”

Finally, Rosie understood. Thomas was faithful to her, as he had been. He hadn’t meant to hurt her, but he hadn’t wanted to hurt Emily either. He was full of compassion and care for others, one of the things that had made him so appealing to her from the start. He hadn’t wanted Emily to kiss him, nor did he engage. Thomas was simply caught in a bad place when Rosie had found him. He wasn’t about to let her go, and this proved it. Thomas truly did love her.

Rosie’s eyes began to water again; she was full of happiness that her love was still hers and hers alone. As she gazed at him, she noticed his front buffers were badly dented – dimly she remembered hitting him and pushing against him in a towering rage over nothing at all. “Oh, Thomas, I’m so sorry,” Rosie said tearfully.

But Thomas, relieved and pleased that Rosie had apparently understood and accepted his apology, was kind. “You were angry, and had every right to be. I’m sorry I hurt you like that – I never meant to hurt anyone. I really do love you, Rosie.”

“I know that now,” Rosie said weakly, before launching herself at Thomas again. This time, however, she began to kiss him with teary-eyed passion and love. Thomas responded gently, kissing her as she kissed him and muttering gentle words as she sobbed into him. Not once did he doubt that Rosie had forgiven him and was keen to take him back again – which, of course, he was more than keen to do.

Through her own tears and passion, Rosie noted that Thomas had a few silent tears upon his face as well. Any doubt about him at that point left her immediately; he wouldn’t cry like that if he wasn’t serious about what he had said. She knew that all was well again, and her tears began to stop as she kissed him even more passionately.

Presently she felt the tip of his tongue brush against her lips, very delicately and yet deliberately. Rosie hesitated for a brief moment; could she trust him? Would she trust him? Gently, she opened her eyes to find Thomas gazing at her. There were no ulterior motives in his eyes, any hidden agendas or secrets to reveal. All that was there was pure love for her, and nothing more.

“I’m sorry, Rosie,” Thomas said quietly. “I won’t do anything you’re uncomfortable with.”

That sealed it instantly. Rosie kissed him again, opening her mouth and letting him in. Their tongues linked inside their mouths, entwining each other in a dance of desire and love that was as deep as the sea. Rosie felt pure, unadulterated passion as she now kissed him more powerfully than before; this was truly real. Thomas was hers and hers alone, and she loved him just as deeply. Just the two of them, alone in their own world…

The two broke apart after a while, both flushed with color. Rosie had never done that before, and it appeared that Thomas was the same. Still, Rosie knew that she had enjoyed that. She smiled at her Thomas, who grinned back at her. No words were spoken; they didn’t need to be. That one kiss, deeper and more powerful than any before it, had spoken volumes on their relationship with each other, now stronger than ever before.

All was well again, as it should be.

***

The next day, Thomas and Rosie were back at Tidmouth Sheds. Most of the engines had gone… except for Emily. She was still sitting in her berth, looking very upset. James had helped her through the night, but she still felt ashamed and miserable. The firelighter had had no choice but to fail her for the day because of it, and so she sat in the sheds.

As the two tank engines approached, Emily tried to shrink away. She didn’t want to see them, not after yesterday. She couldn’t bear to think of what they thought of her.

But Thomas was smiling. “Good morning, Emily. Are you ready to work today?”

“I’ve been failed,” Emily muttered softly. “I won’t be working today. Perhaps tomorrow.”

At a glance from Rosie, Thomas spoke up after a moment. “What happened yesterday didn’t change anything, Emily. You’re still my friend, and I hope I’m still yours. I just don’t like you in that way. I hope you understand what I mean.”

“Of course, Thomas,” Emily said. She smiled faintly, before reverting back to her glum mood. “It doesn’t change what I did either. I’m so sorry I did that to you, Thomas. I shouldn’t have…”

“But you did,” Rosie piped in. “and you learned your lesson. No one is blaming you; you acted in denial. You didn’t mean anything by it and we all know it, so stop apologizing for it.”

Emily was a bit taken aback by Rosie’s comments, then quickly decided that Rosie’s attitude towards her was much better than she would have expected. “You’re right, Rosie. I hope we’re still friends too.”

“Of course we are,” the tank engine beamed. “I was angry at Thomas last night, not you. I thought he wanted you to do it.”

Emily was confused. “You know the truth. Why aren’t you upset with me?”

“After last night, I can’t be upset at Thomas or you anymore,” Rosie chirped brightly. “I hope you find someone for yourself, Emily; there are plenty of others out there who would be lucky to have you.”

The green engine gave a great smile for the first time since the previous day. “Thank you. I hope so too.”

With that sorted, the two tank engines puffed off to begin their work, leaving Emily alone once more. As she watched them depart she sighed. The pain in her heart would take time to heal, but she knew that it would. Emily was going to be all right. Though she still felt the loss, she knew that her friendship with Thomas would last – a strong friendship like that would survive forever. Emily closed her eyes, and tried to rest in the sun as she attempted to begin the healing process that would only make her stronger.


End file.
